In the last issue we discussed how each of us has an invisible ‘operating system’ of beliefs and assumptions. Our ‘OS’ interprets, and so distorts, every piece of information we receive before we ever have a chance to consider it consciously. Whilst this is extremely useful, it also means that we all get stuck in patterns and traps of our own making. Every problem we face has two parts – what’s going on ‘out there’ in the world (e.g. the markets or our organisation) and what’s going on ‘in here’ – in the form of the assumptions we make about both the problem and the solution. When we’re stuck, or struggling with something, it’s often because we’re failing to examine those aspects of the problem that lie within us. The good news is that, if we can learn to do so, these aspects are completely within our control and so can give us many useful options for moving forward. This is just as true for teams as it is
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Breaking through with Learning Conversations
Breaking through with Learning Conversations We all get stuck in patterns of how we do things and the results we produce. Some of these are helpful – but others consistently frustrate our ability to get what we want. This is just as true for teams as it is for individuals. Some of our patterns are known to us. In the case of some of the less helpful ones they are only too familiar. Others are outside our awareness, and these are even more difficult to deal with. So what are they and where do they come from? Do you know how your PC works? To understand how these habits form, let’s think of ourselves for a moment like a computer. The PC, tablet or smartphone you are reading this on has three elements: the hardware, operating software and software applications. The hardware alone is an inert lump of metal, plastic and silicon. The applications are pieces of software that we choose to meet the task in hand. The really interesting
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Do you need help to deal with irrational people?
Sigmund Freud on leading in irrational workplaces Does your organisation feel like a perfectly rational place where people calmly make logical choices – or a confusing and frustrating one where anxious people seem to behave in irrational and destructive ways? If it’s the latter, you’ll be interested in the organisational insights that have flowed from the work of Sigmund Freud. It’s not all about ‘How’s yer father’ ! Freud, whilst not the first psychologist, (Wilhelm Wundt is usually credited with this) wasn’t even the first to discuss the unconscious. His impact was to be the first to scientifically study the unconscious mind – and then to begin to identify ways to work with the behaviour that came from it. Many of his theories are now subject to considerable debate and he never applied his thinking to organisational life. He earns his place in our ‘Great thinkers about leadership’ list because of his huge influence on so many of the thinkers, theories and practices in what has become the science of
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